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“Thank you again for all that you have done for Precious and I. Words do not do justice to the appreciation I feel for all your gentle guidance that has vastly improved our ‘way of going’ and understanding of each other. You have been pivotal to us making a large quantum leap in the last year.”

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Patricia Warhurst and Precious, Nelson

Training Your Horse - Less is More

Training Progress for You and Your Horse == Less is more!!

Introduction
We have a wide range of methods, styles and techniques available to us to improve communication between us and our horses. This article focuses on how important ‘less is more’. Less physical, mental and emotional pressure for good progress.
My work is centered around sound basic communication and understanding of training. The key priorities of ‘the scales of training’ and how to implement them.

The first level/step of ‘the scales of training’
Rhythm -, for me this means a forward active rhythm that suits the horse’s stage of training. Many riders confuse rhythm with speed. When the rider asks the horse to move forward not only must the signal to do so be clear and simple the response must be immediate and the rider’s job there after is to stay in balance and not hinder the horse from doing so.

What I so often see is the rider constantly squeezing and kicking with leg pressure and often a heavy seat which tends to make the horse drop his back under the rider. Instead of giving a simple clear signal for the horse to move forward which is reinforced with the whip if necessary. Fixing the hands, hitting the horse in the back with the upper body weight and pulling back on the reins to try and ‘get the horse on the bit’ is a complete misunderstanding of what we want.

How often do we see a rider constantly pushing with the legs in rising trot and slamming their seat down into the saddle at the same time. If you were the horse would you want to go forward? You may have to be strong with the leg to ask, then be still and expect the horse to move forward “softly sit’ is a term I often use. Ride forward in an active rhythm and allow the horse to carry you.

‘If’ is a very small word with a large meaning!! If you ask the horse to move forward and then restrict him, all be it unintentionally with your hands and poor balance or intentionally with restricting nosebands and uncomfortable saddles. How can you expect to get the result you want?

What should it feel like?
Often when I get the rider to ride the horse forward in an active rhythm they feel they have so much to handle, too much power and speed when it is simply moving forward with energy, rhythm and a swing from the horses back. Quite frankly they do not feel as safe as when they are ‘pumping’ their horse along with their legs.

The rider needs to develop the ‘feel’ for when the horse offers to move freely forward. If you feel the horse starting to hang back just a small amount, be quick with your leg and a ‘tickle tap’ from the whip, let the horse know that the expectation is that it keeps going forward without being pushed every stride.

It may well be that in the early days of schooling, the rhythm is a little fast in tempo but in time once the horse knows and agrees to keep moving forward you can steady the rhythm to get a better push off from the ground and give an upward swing to the strides. This has to be established if you are to get the horse moving forward and accepting the rein contact and eventually working through the back to become ‘on the bit.’ The term for this is riding the horse from behind (the power in the hindquarters) up through and over the back to be able to contain that energy into the riders’ hand. The complete opposite of constantly pushing with the leg and shortening the neck with restricting reins and bit.

What is the right speed and tempo for your particular horse?
This is slightly more difficult to answer as it will depend on the conformation and temperament of the horse and degree of experience of the rider. It is learning how to develop your ‘feel’. Ask yourself does this feel too fast and hurried? If so how can you steady the tempo without pulling on the reins, quite often the answer is for the rider to ‘look at themselves’ as they are often causing the horse to ‘run due to the rider’s poor balance and lack of harmony. Ask yourself does this pace feel too slow and lacking energy? Ride the horse forward as mentioned above but do not hinder the horse with your poor balance. Easier said than done. I know.

Try this If you have the opposite problem with a horse that is too fast.
Ride your horse onto a large circle in trot, try slowing your rising trot down being gentle with your seat when you sit in the saddle and you will find your horse will slow to the rhythm you are riding to – influencing him with the rhythm you are setting, not speeding up to go with his. You can also send ‘small light sensations’ down the outside rein to steady the pace as well as use your voice. All of these guides are better and more effective than just pulling on the reins. So ride for a slower rhythm and be calmer and slower in yourself.
This is an approach I use often when I teach – basically ride for what you want rather than deal with what you get!!!

‘Body mind intelligence for effortless movement”
I developed this mantra with my teacher over several years when training for my all absorbing hobby of ballroom dancing and I find it is the same for horse and rider. Both dancer and rider need communication, connection, empathy and sound basics to be able to go well together.
How do we get this? With the development (constant work) to develop ‘feel’ for a more harmonious interaction between horse and rider. Mental awareness, attitude and acceptance that the rider needs to change before the horse will.

The key things I miss here in New Zealand is to be able to have a number of school master horses for dressage and jumping to give novice riders and those working beyond that level the ‘feel’ of a horse working correctly through it’s back, moving forward to the rein contact plus the feel of more advanced movements (flying change, counter change of hand in half pass etc.) And the variation within the paces with balance, this experience not only develops ‘feel’ but gives confidence when they come to work on their own horse. This plus a few good lunge horses to work on the riders’ position is the surest and fastest way to progress.

My training
When I was working with a dressage trainer at his establishment I would save up enough money beforehand to have a lunge lesson, a lesson on an advanced horse and one on my own horse everyday for as many days as I could afford. I have to say everyone there was very generous and I rode other people’s horses that were stabled there and several more young ones belonging to my trainer. Yes rider fitness was a necessity! This work gave me such a good grounding and I was totally immersed in the right environment, any spare time was watching others have lessons and taking notes. Notes about my own horses training sessions were vital for when I returned home to school alone.

Trying too hard
This can be the biggest block to achieving ‘less is more’. Often the more we try – physically and mentally the lower the chances of achieving those ultimate goals of ‘Body mind intelligence for effortless movement’. This is of course common in any sporting activity, the ‘try too hard’ results in the horse having no opportunity to work well underneath you.

How do we achieve ‘less in more’?

Say far less to your horse, be clear when you say it and be consistent with aids every time. Ask, then allow and respect that the horse will perform, stay balanced to help the horse.

Let’s look at one example – trot to canter transitions. This simple progressive transition is often badly ridden. The moment the rider takes sitting trot before asking for canter the horse speeds up, the trot rushes forward and loses balance and heavy onto the forehand only to be pushed harder with the legs and heavy seat and sometimes whip at which point the horse often tumbles into a very unbalanced uncomfortable canter. If you keep doing this nothing will change. (If you keep doing what you do you will keep getting what you get!).

Let’s look at things from the horses’ point of view. The horse feels the rider sit down with a heavy seat with stiff hips causing the horse to drop it’s back away from this and speeds up, there is no way the horse can do anything else but leave his hind legs trailing out behind, when what we really want is the complete opposite. The horse struggles to respond to the canter aid and to work out how to change the leg sequence from trot diagonals to the three beat of the canter while still coping with too much speed and a rider that is heavy and out of harmony on its back. All too hard!!! No wonder some horses get anxious about canter.

What can be done?
Re-think the whole thing basically, break down the transition into sections and be logical. Firstly ride the horse briskly forward as mentioned earlier and just practice going from rising trot to sitting trot. If your horse speeds up that is the effect of what you caused. You need to work on coming into sitting trot with a soft seat, tall upper body and with hips and lower back that absorb the movement the horses back gives you – practice this until you can do it tactfully without your horse rushing!!! You could also try reducing the amount of sitting trot strides before you ask your horse to canter.

Timing and preparation is also vital, so be sure the trot is at the best rhythm and balance before you ask. Your ‘feel’ for this will help the timing of your canter aid. If your aid is too heavy or hard it is like being shouted at to CANTER!!! The aids do not need to be strong, just clear with a listening horse.

Sitting deep and driving with the seat is I am often told a canter aid. My question is if the horses back is tight, stiff and hollow, sitting stronger will only make it worse.

What do we want to ‘feel’?

Imagination is a useful tool, imagine the feel you want, feel as if you want the horse to jump up underneath you, to help that happen we are back to setting the right rhythm and speed so that the horse can step well underneath it’s body to push from behind and lift you up into canter . Ride for the upward swing of the canter rather than grinding down into the horse’s back. Good upper body posture (core) allows your hips to follow the horse’s back movement.

When teaching beginner riders to canter in my own riding schools I trained my horse on voice command to go direct from walk into canter. This enabled the rider to be relaxed in the lower back and hips to absorb the canter movement and more able to follow the slow canter movement, this also saved my horses backs.

The learning curve of what is ‘less is more’

‘Less is more’ is an understanding and a will to work for doing less, being clearer and consistent with your horse, and while you’re at it make your horse a promise that you will do as much as you can to improve your balance/position and ‘feel’.! GRIN!! Then I know true ‘intelligent feel is being achieved.

How will I deal with it?
Some riders I have worked with have been totally elated when they have the break through enjoying the new ease this brings. Others can be come completely overwhelmed with how difficult they have been making it for their horse in the past when they realize the effect on the horse was caused by them. At this point
reassurance from their coach is vital.